ALMOST A YEAR AFTER HER IDENTICAL TWIN’S DISAPPEARANCE, 25 YEAR OLD MEDICAL STUDENT MAUDE ASHTON IS STILL HAUNTED BY VISIONS OF HER VIOLENT ABDUCTION. CONVINCED SHE IS STILL ALIVE, MAUDE FOLLOWS THE CLUES TO A DERELICT CARAVAN PARK WHERE SHE DISCOVERS HER FATE IS INTRINSICALLY LINKED TO THAT OF HER SISTER, WHILE THE ENTIRE EXPERIMENT IS CONTROLLED BY A ‘SECRET SOCIETY’ THAT LIKES TO WATCH. Maude, a 25-year-old medical student living in Big House’ - a mansion deep in the forest where a Germany, is trying to pick up the pieces after her strange “family” have a very unusual way of treating identical twin’s disappearance almost a year ago. their guests. Maude and Cleo are chalk and cheese – Maude responsible, studious and academic; Cleo impulsive, If Maude wants to see her sister again she’ll have to irresponsible and a gifted athlete. go through with a series of strange experiments. When visions of Cleo’s violent abduction begin Is this all just some sick game? manifesting as hallucinations, Maude decides to return home to face her grieving family in Or do twins indeed hold the key to extraordinary Australia. Back at home more and more details psychic powers? begin appearing in her nightmares and Maude begins questioning her sanity. But are these As Maude discovers the truth about her sister, she just the creations of a troubled mind or psychic learns that she may be able to alter fate - but she can’t communications? escape it. Convinced Cleo is still alive, Maude decides to follow the visions to whatever end and is joined by Cleo’s fiancée Ralph and Henry, the police detective obsessed with the case. The trio trace Cleo’s movements to an isolated caravan park where they spend the night with a group of eccentric residents. Not long after, Henry disappears and Maude and Ralph are drugged, kidnapped and taken to ‘The © LONGSHOT 2017 STATEMENTDIRECTOR’S RABBIT is a modern fable about fate, destiny and the paths we choose. I’ve had the privilege of growing up alongside a With this, a question arose that provided the central set of identical twins. Not family, but very close. premise for RABBIT - ‘Can we escape our own fate?’ I had a “voyeuristic curiosity” from watching this set of identical twins grow up together, grow apart With Maude’s story I wanted to rail against a concept and then find each other again. The nature of their of controlling or manipulating behavior, with the “sympatico” relationship had produced such a level notion that the human spirit can overcome anything. of “internal” claustrophobia that both twins were Maude behaves like her twin, she asks the same even pushed to live at opposite ends of the planet questions and reacts just like her sister Cleo, but for a while. when she chooses to dismiss her slightest instinct, another path is chosen. The concept behind RABBIT was to introduce a horrific ‘event’ and explore a genetic link between It’s a “sliding doors” dilemma, but in RABBIT the identical twins and their ability to communicate central question of genetically driven behaviour telepathically. I was interested in exploring how two rather than decisions driven by environmental characters, sharing 99 percent of the same DNA, change is at the core. Nothing is ever black and white deal with such feelings of loss, pain and guilt. when it comes to human nature and when Maude is aware of the experiment and how she is “expected” What if they could communicate such feelings to to act, a question of accepting fate or rebelling against each other? On the surface this notion appeared to it arises. be quite fantastical, but as I continued my research I discovered this to be not only feasible, but for many Being a writer and director, the tonal aesthetic of a very real phenomenon; that one twin could warn the film was always in my head. The BIG PRINT the other of their impending fate. was just as important as the narrative journey and character arcs of my leading players. © LONGSHOT 2017 Tonally, the film has space. It has a measured breath. The “big house” is a real, breathing house – not a I see it providing a constant build of menace, a studio. We see real gardens and driveways. The mood where you are unsure of who is to be trusted society exists almost as if a feudal set up where the and whether what you are seeing is real, a dream or house on the hill controls the underlings beneath. a figment of Maude’s mind. Editing is staccato in rhythm - scenes play in natural Visually, there is a distinction between Maude and time emphasised by sharp offbeat cuts and transitions Cleo’s visions and the real world of the detective to make the audience experience Maude’s constant story. The visions take on a surreal feel and are shot state of unease. Scenes are kept wide, letting the in first person POV where Maude and the audience drama play out, only punching in when necessary for begin retracing Cleo’s steps. I want the audience to emphasis and enhancing the menace as needed. experience this subjectively as Maude experiences this. Feel what she feels. Regarding performance, we never drift into the unreal or “over the top”. Our actors play the scene Early on, it’s a deliberate decision to test the audience for the drama – not the horrific undertone of the as to whether they believe they’re watching reality bigger picture. The society are based on a fantastical or a dream. This happens as my camera style construct but aren’t handled with over the top maintains a level of truth. I’m not talking about theatrics. The neighbours, Minnie and Roman from Terry Gilliam style “visual theatre” here, more a Rosemary’s Baby (and indeed the entire satanic cult twisted or tweaked version of reality that Maude is of oldies from that film) are our characters, not the trying to decipher. family from every other horror film you’ve ever seen. In stark contrast, for the reality of our main They believe they’re a “greater good” for society, narrative, we play the drama straight, captured existing on a higher plain. But my film isn’t really with an almost voyeuristic lens that never intrudes; about that secret group and I carefully avoided too more a creeping camera than a charging one. heavy an emphasis on the “intellectual” nature of Natural light (where possible) permeates the scene. their studies. Prac lights instead of large studio lighting. I wanted to create a gothic fairytale but one that was A sense of normal is what makes these worlds rooted in contemporary “everywhere”. so murky and unclear. Think Michael Haneke’s FUNNY GAMES (1997), HIDDEN (2005) or Rabbit is about a set of twins that are very closely Cronenberg’s, HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005) connected but choose to avoid such a relationship. – the later film captured entirely with a 28mm lens – keeping the drama open and free and not cramping My hope is that by the end of the film, the audience the world. Wide angle lenses capturing master are left with Maude’s dilemma that even if (she) or shots – expositionally summing up the scene. indeed we as a collective can avoid a certain fate for so long…. can we really ever escape it? LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008) is also an inspiration for the craft and design of RABBIT. There is a beauty in its composition, yet a slight of hand to the camera movement, music and art department. It’s a tilted reality. The character of the location is crucial. The city is cold, clinical, contrasting the warm and wild tones of the rural locations and derelict caravan park. © LONGSHOT 2017 CLEO & MAUDE ADELAIDE CLEMENS RABBIT stars one of Australia’s fastest rising talents, Adelaide Clemens, who’s performances opposite screen legends like Benedict Cumberbatch, Keanu Reeves and Leonardo Dicaprio have been hailed by critics as “spell- binding”, “revelatory” and “stole the show”. She first graced the big screen in the blockbuster smash, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE and has since been in THE GREAT GATSBY, SILENT HILL and GENERATION UM..., as well as the HBO series PARADE’S END and Netflix’s RECTIFY. Most recently, she just completed filming the Martha Coolidge epic love story, MUSIC, WAR AND LOVE in Poland in the lead role opposite Connie Nielsen and Stellan Skarsgård. This is a reunion for Adelaide and Alex Russell who both made their feature film debut in WASTED ON THE YOUNG. © LONGSHOT 2017 RALPH HENRY ALEX RUSSELL JONNY PASVOLSKY Alex was lead role in the hugely successful sci-fi film Pasvolsky got his first break in his role (Rob Shelton/Matt CHRONICLE. He then played opposite Julianne Bosnich, 2005–2007) in McCLOUD’S DAUGHTERS, Moore and Chloe Grace Moretz in the re-make of which he received a nomination for “Most Popular New CARRIE as well as appearing in Angelina Jolie’s Oscar Male Talent” at the Logie Awards of 2006. He has also nominated war epic UNBROKEN. He has recently appeared in the UNDERBELLY: A TALE OF TWO wrapped on both Sony’s GRANITE MOUNTAIN CITIES, and has had guest roles in several Australian with Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges, Greg McLean’s television series: SEACHANGE, FARSCAPE, and JUNGLE alongside Daniel Radcliffe, and is receiving ALL SAINTS. He starred as Mr. Hooper in HEY, rave reviews for his starring role in Ivan Sen’s HEY, IT’S ESTHER BLUEBURGER and played GOLDSTONE opposite Academy Award Winner Antonio Morelli in the UK.TV mini-series FALSE Jackie Weaver.